The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has begun projecting the number of vehicles on Westside Highway 24 using the new growth forecast for the
year 2035.
Not surprisingly, the numbers are all considerably higher than the actual counts for the year 2005. They are also higher, except in one location, than the previously
used 2030 forecast, according to a CDOT consultant's presentation March 12 to the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG).
The numbers help CDOT engineers determine the capacity needed for the roadway expansion, which have been tentatively proposed - based on 2030 numbers - for
two or three interchanges and three lanes each way between Manitou Springs and I-25. “Using these 2035 forecasts, options such as grade-separated interchanges
vs. at-grade intersections will be re-evaluated,” the presentation states.
No exact schedule has been announced, but CDOT plans call for a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) late this year, with public review in mid 2009 and
submission of the final EA for federal review in late '09, according to the presentation.
Here are the comparisons:
Manitou interchange to Ridge Road:
2005 - 29,600
2030 - 44,100
2035 - 50,000
Ridge to 31st Street:
2005 - 29,600
2030 - 46,100
2035 - 50,000
31st to 26th:
2005 - 31,500
2030 - 43,100
2035 - 51,400
26th to 21st:
2005 - 31,900
2030 - 45,000
2035 - 53,200
21st to 14th:
2005 - 38,500
2030 - 54,700
2035 - 58,400
14th to 8th:
2005 - 38,500
2030 - 54,700
2035 - 58,400
8th to I-25:
2005 - 50,300
2030 - 87,000
2035 - 83,700
On Cimarron/Highway 24 east of I-25, which would stay four lanes, the numbers projected by CDOT drop off considerably, as follows:
2005 - 29,200
2030 - 34,400
2035 - 38,800